The Heart of the Matter
by AlbusSeverusGryffindor
Summary: Harry Potter's walk into destiny as seen by the last person he talked to. Neville has always been one of my favorite characters outside of the Trio and I'm glad JKR gave him the chance to shine in recent books. Spoiler alert in case people still haven't


The Heart of the Matter

By AlbusSeverusGryffindor

Author's Note: Harry Potter's walk into destiny as seen by the last person he talked to. Neville has always been one of my favorite characters outside of the Trio and I'm glad JKR gave him the chance to shine in recent books. Spoiler alert in case people still haven't read DH. If you haven't you really should.

_The curse of his power tormented his life..._

_He surely would leave but the oath made him stay._

_Hand of Sorrow- Within Temptation_

Neville Longbottom had seen many things in his short life so almost nothing surprised him anymore. Certainly nothing surprised him after having seen all the horror he'd seen in the last few months and hours. The horribly mangled bodies of both friend and foe that littered the Hogwart's grounds around him had to be the worst thing he'd ever seen in his life. He trudged around the grounds collecting the bodies of the dead and helping the wounded hoping against hope that somehow Harry would be able to end all this madness soon. He knew everything rested on Harry' shoulders and that everyone was looking to him to finish this once and for all. He had no idea what Harry and the others were up to but he knew it had to do with defeating Voldemort and that was good enough for him even if there were some that wondered why he was not out here fighting beside them or why he was staying behind.

He bent low over another body, tears blurring his vision when he recognized another student he'd known. He knelt there for several moments in silence for the soul that had departed and closed the girl's eyes. He was just about to lift her into his arms so that he could return to the castle when he heard the faintest whisper of a cloak close at hand and a voice saying his name. He turned quickly, his wand at the ready and nearly fainted when he saw Harry standing there. His green eyes found the girl on the ground and he seemed to shudder slightly at the sight before he too knelt down and murmured words that Neville didn't quite catch though his sorrow was almost a living thing.

Harry looked awful. His face was sheet white and his eyes held a strange look in them, almost as if he was seeing something no one else could see. His robes where singed, torn and covered in powdery ash and soot. There was blood on his hands and a gash on his left cheek that was still streaming blood. A multitude of bruises lay scattered across the parts of his body that Neville could see and his was favoring both his right leg and left arm, which were also bleeding a little from gashs in them that Harry probably didn't even know were there.

Neville knew that he looked and probably felt no better then Harry but he felt concern for the boy beside him. His concern for Harry overrode every other concern Neville might have been experiencing up til now. Harry had the look of one who'd lost everything and whose burden had grown even heavier in the last few hours than it had been before. This was not the same Harry that he'd been so relieved to see in the Room of Requirement a few short hours ago. That Harry had been full of strength and bravery, ready to take on Voldemort himself if need be in order to save everyone. The Harry that was now before him looked almost fragile and scared, though a firm resolved seemed to be there too. He looked like Neville felt: scared out his wits and alone. Neville was surprised by that and wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.

After a few moments Harry got slowly to his feet and Neville saw him clench his fist as he stared off toward the Forbidden Forest, his eyes not quite focused. He heard the words that Harry spoke as if from far away and answered them but Neville's heart was full of dread. Harry's words echoed in his head but he paid them no heed. Harry needed someone who understood what he was about to do. He needed someone now more than ever before. He was about to do something so brave and noble but he was mortally afraid and alone, having left everyone he loved behind in the castle. Neville could see it in his far away look, in the way his eyes seemed to roam the grounds briefly and in the way his eyes locked for a moment on the castle that had been home to them all for the last seven years. In an instant Neville knew what Harry was about to do. He had only one thing left to give: his own life. The very thing that Voldemort was demanding of him and he was going to give it as selflessly as he had once given his friendship to Neville to insure that the others survived. Neville was sure he had not seen anything so selfless and brave in his life as Harry's willingness to protect them all with his life even though it must have been clear to him what that meant. Here was the true heart of a Gryffindor: a bravery so strong that one would willingly walk to their own death, to give up the life that they cherished above all else in order to save millions.

Harry seemed to be transfigured by Neville's revelation. There seemed to be a light around him that encased him in it's protection and for a moment Neville final saw who Harry truly was and it awed him. Here was the 'Chosen One'. Here was his true power. The very power that Voldemort denied was standing here before Neville encased in the body of the seventeen year old boy before him. For a brief instant everything stood still and Neville's mind flashed memories of the last six year at him so rapidly he felt dazed. Then the effect was gone as if it had never been and Harry looked lost and scared again. His eyes flicked between the castle and the forest again and it was very clear to Neville that he wished he could return to the castle and ignore the call of his enemy. He knew Harry would not do so however. It was not in his nature to allow the suffering and death around him to continue if he had the power to stop it. Neville had always understood this about Harry even from the beginning and it was Harry that he had been emulating all year, turning the Carrows' rage upon himself in order to protect the others. Trying to give them all hope when it seemed hopeless, just as Harry had done in the past. They were not so different after all and Neville felt pride fill him.

Harry started to leave and Neville grabbed his wrist before he could move on.

"We're all going to keep fighting, Harry. You know that."

"Yeah, I-----"

He wanted Harry to know that they would continue the fight even if he was no longer there to do so himself. He wanted Harry to see that he would do as he had been told and kill the snake even though he did not understand why it was so important. Harry could not, it seemed, respond to this declaration of loyalty to him and the cause for which they were fighting but Neville could tell by the look in his eyes that he understood. He saw Harry give him a small, sad smile before Neville gave him a pat on the back and moved away. He heard Harry's footsteps as he moved away and he turned to watch even though he knew he would not see him ever again.

"Safe journey Harry. May you know peace at last." He whispered to the wind.


End file.
